Quotas on Hollywood Films Shown in Russia — Censorship or Country Pride?

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — It might soon be harder to get tickets to Hollywood movies in Russia.

Russia’s Culture Ministry is considering quotas on the number of foreign films that can be shown there. Officials say it’s an effort to boost Russia’s domestic film industry, which is struggling against a tidal wave of Hollywood flicks that flood the market each year.

According to Romir Movie Research, a Russian firm that tracks ticket sales, only 16.7 percent of tickets sold so far this year have been for Russian movies. Culture Minister Vladimire Medinsky suggested setting a goal for the proportion of domestic films shown in theaters at 18.2 percent, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Critics, however, see the proposal as another effort by the Kremlin to limit outside influence in Russia amid unprecedented protests.